Malaysian civil servants have been told to stop using Waze right away, following a new circular from Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
The decision came directly out of a National Cyber Security Committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on 20 October 2026. Ministry secretaries-general and department heads have been asked to pass the message down the line to all staff and agency teams so everyone complies immediately, according to The Star.
National Cyber Security Agency (Nacsa) chief executive Dr Megat Zuhairy Megat Tajuddin confirmed the authenticity of the circular after it started circulating on social media.
Explaining the move, Anwar noted that the committee took a hard look at information security risks. The main concern centres on data privacy and the potential exposure of public movement patterns through Waze, particularly since the app falls under Israeli government laws.
As a local alternative, the Prime Minister suggested drivers switch over to TuJu, a navigation app built by the Malaysian Highway Authority.